learn with your community
What better way to learn about food + wellness than to learn from the best that our community has to offer! From True Local suppliers to local Chefs + artisans, we’re always on the look-out for exciting opportunities to share knowledge and meet new people. All upcoming classes will be held in-person.
Class Instructors
Instructor Bio
Aeryon Ashlie is the founder of Aeryon Wellness Supplements, Holistic Nutritionist, Keynote Speaker and #1 Best Selling Author. The mission of Aeryon Wellness is to “Empower Women with Holistic Health.” Her female focused, support supplements are a result of 20+ years of personal experience with hormonal imbalance, weight management, stress, and sleep issues.
She resides in Vancouver, BC with her daughter and 2 Poodles.
Instructor Bio
Jess is the founder of Mamacita’s Empanadas based in Golden, BC. She has a background deeply rooted in experiential learning and a genuine love for crafting tasty experiences. She possesses an innate ability to blend traditional flavors with modern twists, evident in the diverse range of empanada fillings that Mamacita’s has become renowned for. Her empanadas capture the essence of Argentine culture while maintaining a Canadian touch.
Instructor Bio
Having grown up in the south of Vietnam, food and family were integral to Thao’s life. After moving to the Kootenays from Ho Chi Minh City alongside her husband and son, Thao craved the flavours and culture she grew up with. It was with this in mind that Thao began working on and sharing her family recipes with her newfound community in Nelson. This became so popular that in 2022, she opened a market booth at various farmers markets and festivals. She continues to be excited about sharing Vietnamese food, flavours, and culture with her Canadian family!
Instructor Bio
Ilana Cameron has been roasting coffee since 2016. She started out on a popcorn popper, won a local business award and purchased her first roaster. This has now evolved into a beloved café and a ever-growing wholesale coffee business, all based in nearby Creston. Her passion is to find coffees that delight and surprise. In the coming year she is hoping to visit coffee farms in Mexico, Tanzania or Brazil. One of her favourite things is to share her love of flavour with people and to help them find coffees that they truly enjoy.
Instructor Bio
Lara’s love of food began as a child in a family where her grandmother was a caterer, grandfather was a farmer and her mother often made cheese in a household where her Ukrainian heritage was intrinsically tied to time in the kitchen and at the dinner table. After developing an impressive career in hospitality management and cooking across Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Scotland, Lara and her partner Adrian (an accomplished chef in his own right) settled in Fairmont Hot Springs, BC. There they started From Scratch Foods which focuses on food production, catering, and private cooking classes. She is impassioned by celebration around food and exceptional customer service.